We are pleased to announce that in addition to SERFF, North Carolina will continue to accept Paper and E-MAIL filings, i.e., NC NoPaPER. The Life & Health Division will create and upload both Paper and E-MAIL submissions to the SERFF Review Application for formal review. Communications between Life & Health and the Non-SERFF Filer will take the form of an electronic e-mail rather than printed-paper mailings. Each filer must provide a valid e-mail address with their filing, whether paper or electronic, or their submission will be rejected. Filers are encouraged to contact SERFF directly for further information on how SERFF can streamline their operations.

NC NoPaPER Electronic Filing Instructions

Public Record Submissions - Please Follow These Steps:

Convert all of your paper transmittal documents including forms, actuarial materials, transmittal header and/or cover letter to Adobe 9.0 or earlier version (PDF). Attach all components of the filing to an e-mail message and address to L&Hinbox@ncdoi.gov.

L&H does not accept multi company filings under a single cover letter or email submission. Each company must file in its own name. Please do not mix unrelated forms in the same submission.

Resubmissions shall include a red-lined comparison reflecting the changes you have made to the form(s) in response to a communication of disapproval from this Division pursuant to T11 NCAC 12.0329(3)(h), Please also include in your cover letter or separately a statement that affirms no other changes have been made to the form(s) other than those reflected in the red-line copy, unless such is not true. Should other changes have been made, the cover letter shall outline the changes and indicate where the changes were made in the form(s).

Life & Health will create a work unit and assign your filing to appropriate staff for review. Each submitted document will be attached to the work unit which is accessible to you on-line. An electronic e-mail notification will be generated and sent to you identifying the Life & Health tracking file number and Reviewer when the work unit is created. Staff will communicate to you through email prompts that will link you to your work unit.

Life & Health communications (notes to filer; approval or disapproval letters), are attached to the work unit and accessible to you on-line. To expedite the review of your submission, we encourage you to complete and submit along with your filing, the appropriate Life & Health checklist.

To check the status of your file or to read correspondence generated by the Reviewer go to: Search Company Filings and enter the L&H Tracking Number and select "retrieve".

If your submission exceeds the document size afforded e-mail transmittals, we will accept your filing on Compact Disc or Diskette.

In regard to product coding, the NAIC Uniform Product Coding Matrix (LA&H Matrix) effective January 1, 2009, is also adopted by the Life & Health Division and should be used by the filer to code all submissions.

Follow the Public Record filing steps. Complete the transmittal reference line and body of your Email to CLEARLY designate that a portion of the filing is TRADE SECRET information. The failure to designate material as "confidential" or "trade secret" when it is initially filed is a patent failure to meet the criteria of NCGS 132-1.2. A properly submitted electronic filing will be separated into two distinctly separate parts. Labeled and attached to a single transmittal Email:

Part 1: Trade Secret

Part 2: Public Record

An Email filing that is not in the prescribed filing format shall be rejected and returned to the filer.

Reminder

Life & Health Division ceased its practice of sending a printed-paper approval letter for approved filings and also discontinued the practice of affixing a stamp of approval on policy forms. It will be necessary to retain all L&H approval letters as evidence of form approval for your records. Also, should your company be scheduled for a market conduct examination you may be asked to produce the L&H approval letter as evidence of form approval.

If you have a question about this new process you may send your written inquiry to L&Hinbox@ncdoi.gov. Due to budget restraints the Life & Health Division cannot return calls without a toll free telephone number.